Men’s, Women’s Cross Country Comes to SCC this Fall, Christianson Tapped to Lead

01/18/2018

Southeastern Community College will roll out men’s and women’s cross country programs
in August. Head Coach Nathan Christianson has been tapped to steer both squads.

Christianson comes to SCC from Waldorf University in Forest City, Iowa where he served
as Director of Cross Country and Track and Field. Additional coaching duties include
positions at University of Southern Indiana in Evansville, Indiana, Missouri Valley
College in Marshall, Missouri and Brescia University in Owensboro, Kentucky. He holds
a BS in Physical Education from the University of Southern Indiana.

SCC Athletic Director Tyler Gaston says while Christianson was a standout on paper,
he was even more impressed when they first met.

“Nathan was hands-down the best candidate,” says Gaston. “His experience, his recruiting
abilities, his coaching history, and his knowledge of athlete development are all
phenomenal. I think he’s a real diamond in the rough.”

While launching two new athletic programs may seem daunting, Christianson knows a
thing or two about perseverance. He was hit by a car while in college that ended a
promising college running career.

“I was told I would never run again, and I run 8 miles a day now,” explains Christianson.
“I’ve always set high expectations for myself and see this less as a challenge and
more as an opportunity.”

Christianson says Iowa has a number of good junior college cross country programs
so it will take a lot of work recruiting and coaching to get the program where he
wants it to be.

“My goal is to fill our rosters and have a respectable first season that can serve
as a foundation to becoming competitive in the conference and beyond.”

A native of Charles City, Iowa, Christianson is also excited to return to his home
state and make his mark.

“I have a reputation of building programs, and I love that I get to start a program
from scratch and see it grow here in Iowa,” says Christianson.

Gaston says adding cross country will fill a crucial gap in Blackhawk Athletics.

“There’s been a number of local high schoolers who have either left the area to run
cross country or gave it up when they decided to attend SCC. Having the option right
here in their own back yard to compete at the college level will appeal to a lot of
kids.”

Players interested in learning more about Blackhawk Cross Country or Southeastern
Community College should contact Coach Christianson at cchristianson@scciowa.edu, (319) 208-5121.